Apparatus for curing thin films on a moving substrate

Abstract

An apparatus for curing thin films is disclosed. The apparatus includes a computer control system, a conveyance system, a flashlamp controller, and a flashlamp. The curing apparatus also includes a high average power, low-inductance cable connected between the flashlamp controller and the flashlamp. The low-inductance cable is smaller in diameter and is more flexible than the prior art and includes at least one liquid cooling line and multiple forward and return path wires interleaved in a regular hexagonal closed packed configuration such that every wire is adjacent to at least one cooling line and at least one wire of opposite polarity.

1 . An apparatus for curing a thin film on a moving substrate, said apparatus comprising:
 a conveyance system for moving a layer of thin film mounted on a substrate;   a flashlamp for providing electromagnetic pulses to said thin film while said thin film is being moved in relation to said flashlamp;   a flashlamp controller for modulating pulse widths of said electromagnetic pulses; and   a low-inductance cable connected between said flashlamp and said flashlamp controller, wherein said low-inductance cable includes
 a cooling core; 
 a plurality of return-path cables coupled to said cooling core; and 
 a plurality of forward-path cables coupled to said cooling core, wherein said forward-path cables are interleavely coupled to said return-path cables. 
   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said cooling core, said return-path cables and said forward-path cables are interleaved in a hexagonal closed packed configuration. 
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein one of said return-path cables is adjacent to a cooling core and one of said forward-path cables. 
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein one of said forward-path cables is adjacent to a cooling core and one of said return-path cables. 
     
     
         5 . A low-inductance cable comprising:
 a cooling core;   a plurality of return-path cables coupled to said cooling core; and   a plurality of forward-path cables coupled to said cooling core, wherein said forward-path cables are interleavely coupled to said return-path cables.   
     
     
         6 . The cable of  claim 5 , wherein said cooling core, said return-path cables and said forward-path cables are interleaved in a hexagonal closed packed configuration. 
     
     
         7 . The cable of  claim 5 , wherein one of said return-path cables is adjacent to said cooling core and one of said forward-path cables. 
     
     
         8 . The cable of  claim 5 , wherein one of said forward-path cables is adjacent to said cooling core and one of said return-path cables.